Strictly marks another series first with 'legendary' return – and La Voix issues final farewell

As for this year's contestants, the remaining six couples breathed a collective sigh of relief when it was announced that nobody would face the dance-off due to La Voix's sustained injury, which sadly forced her to withdraw from the competition.

"I'm absolutely devastated to be withdrawing from Strictly Come Dancing. This isn't the glittering exit I ever imagined, and it breaks my heart to feel like I'm letting people down," said the drag queen after the news broke. 

"My spirit wanted to keep dancing but my foot has other ideas. Thank you for every cheer, every vote, and every sparkle of support – it's meant the world to me. This isn't the ending I imagined, but I'll cherish this forever."

Keep reading to see all the pictures from Sunday's results show, as well as a final goodbye from La Voix…

The returning finalists' routine was choreographed by Jason Gilkison and featured a new group performance that showcased elements of Jay and Ashley's iconic jives, Danny's famous samba and Layton's showstopping wuickstep.

Reflecting on dancing her jive again, Ashley said: "I was so nervous until one of the pros grabbed my hand and just started jive kicking. And I just thought, what is it? What is my body supposed to do? But I got there and it's coming back! It was stored in the memory with a lot of cobwebs around it that we needed to clean out, but it was in there somewhere.

Danny admitted returning to perform was an emotional ride: "It's a big mixture of emotions. The most prevalent one is probably feeling quite physically sick! I've been back to Elstree Studios to watch the show and it's just pure excitement, gratitude and joy because they are all the things you get from just being in the place. But as soon as you attach the idea of performing again, it just gets quite terrifying!"

Thinking back to when he first performed his 'Pulp Fiction' jive with his partner Aliona Vilani in 2015, Jay said: "All week in the rehearsal, I didn't think there was anything out of the ordinary about that Jive. And we were panicking, because when we did the camera rehearsal in the studio, it did not go well. I was like, well, that's my last chance! But it all came together on the night. 

"I remember the noise from the audience in the room at the end of that Jive; it made something in my ear rattle. It truly felt like an out-of-body experience."

Meanwhile, 2023 finalist and actor Layton Williams said: "I'm absolutely buzzing to be back on THE most iconic dance floor there is. Blackpool brings back so many fab memories and it's a true honour to be invited back."

Sunday's results show was also an emotional one for La Voix, who was forced to withdraw from the competition due to her sustained foot injury. 

Sitting on the sofa with hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman and her dance partner, Aljaž Škorjanec, the Drag Race star reflected on her journey before shedding a tear and expressing her gratitude for the wonderful experience. 

The pair then returned to the dancefloor for one final dance, which ended with La Voix sitting in a huge pink love heart that rose up from the ground while she hung suspended from it. A truly iconic farewell!

Elsewhere in the show, pop singer Lewis Capaldi performed his latest single, 'Something in the Heavens', which was accompanied by a heartwarming dance by the Strictly professionals.